Method of making an inflatable valved article



Dec. 8, 1964 J. c. CHUPA 3,160,691

METHOD OF MAKING AN INFLATABLE VALVED ARTICLE Original Filed May 12, 1954 INVENTOR. JOHN G. CHU PA BY p ATTORNEYS wind -v United States Patent 3,155,691 RETHGD F MAKING AN INFLATABLE VALVED ARTHILE .l'onn (I. Qhupa, Sandnslry, @hio, assignor to The Barr Rubber Products ilompany, Sanduslry, @hio, a corpo= ration of ()hio Original application May 12, 1954, Ser. No. 42%,161, now Patent No. 2,935,326. Divided and this application May 4, 195), Ser. No. 816,773

2 Gaines. (til. 264-319) The present invention relates to the making of inflatable balls or similar inflatable objects which are provided with a valve structure opening through one portion of the wall of the inflatable object.

This application is a divisional application with respect to my copending application Serial No. 429,161 filed May 12, 1954, now Patent No. 2,935,320.

The invention is particularly applicable to making of inflatable objects designed to "be inflated through use of an inflating needle. However, the invention may also be employed where other inflating methods are contemplated, as will become clear below.

An object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive method of manufacturing an inflatable object by simultaneously forming the article and incorporating the valve structure therewithin.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rugged, durable inflatable object which is inexpensive to manufacture and which has a valve means which is simple and foolproof in operation. 7

A further object of the invention is to provide a selfsealing valve which has an unusually long service life and which is' particularly easy to use because of the provision of a lubricant-sealant valve material as disclosed below.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention Wil be more clearly understood from a reading or" the following specification and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a partially broken-away View of an inflatable ball made according [to the present invention.

. FIGURE la is a view similar to the broken-away portion of FIGURE 1, showing another inflatable ball made according to the invention and employing an alternative form of valve.

FiGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of a mold set-up employed in producing the ball shown in FEGURE 1.

FIGURE 2a is a partial cross-sectional View of a mold set-up employed in producing the ball shown in FIG- URE 1a.

FIGURE 3 is'a view similar to FIGURE 2 but at a later stage of manufacture.

FIGURE 3a is a view similar to FIGURE 2a but at a later stage of manufacture. v

Shown in FIGURE 2 is a mold fabricated preferably from aluminum. The illustrated mold is spherical in shape in order to produce balls, but it will be apparent that a variety of other shapes may be formed. The parting line of the mold is shown at 11. In the wall of one of the mold halves, a mounting pin or peg 12 is provided, the peg 12 being fixed to 'the'mold wall in any suitable manner. In FIGURE 2 the peg 12 is shown as threadedly mounted in a tapped hole 13 formed in the wall of the mold.

A valve body 15 is mounted on the peg 12 Within the mold 19, as shown in FIGURE 2. This Valve body may be conventional in shape, being adapted to receive a valve after fabrication of the molded article. The outer end or skirt 16 of the valve body is slightly spaced from the mold wall; for a ball of conventional size, this space may be about inch.

in practicing the present invention, a suitable synthetic plug which is pressed into the seat formed by the peg 12 1.4 6O Polyvinylchloride acetate copolymer, 96% +vinyl chloride, less than 4% vinyl acetate 13 /3 Triethylene glycol di-(Z-ethyl hexoate) 13 /3 Dioctyl phthalate 13 /3 Cadmium naphthenate dissolved in plasticizer type carrier, approx. 1:1 (stabilizer) Titanox (color) 3 The mix 21 may be deposited in the mold-10 as shown in FIGURE 2. The mold is then rotated around several axes of rotation in order to cause the mix to be distributed evenly around the inside surface of the mold. The amount of mix provided in the mold is sufficient to cause the wall thickness of the distributed mix to exceed the spacing between the outer end of the valve body and the mold wall. Thus, as shown in FIGURE 3, the outer wall-adjoining end of the valve body is surrounded by the wall of distributed mix.

The rotating mold is then heated to a temperature of about C., the resin being thereby caused to gel and fuse in the conformation of the mold. Final heat of fusion is not necessarily applied during rotation of the mold, although generally it is most expedient to continue mold rotation during both gelling and fusing. The cast article is then stripped from the mold and allowed to cool. The conformation of the final cast product is shown in FIGURE 1. A resilient plug 21 is forced through the orifice or opening 22 and is received Within the inner seat of the valve body formed by the peg 12.

The valve body 15 is preferably also formed as a plastisol which has been pro-molded to shape prior to the above described operations. The nature of these plastisols is such that at least partial fusion between the valve body and the article Wall will occur when the mold 1G is heated in order to set the article wall.

The plug 21 may also comprise a pre-cast plastisol elethe plug 21 and passing down through a further needle guide passage 23 and through the inner end of the valve body to communicate directly with the interior of the ball when the ball is being inflated. When the needle is withdrawn, the soft plug 21 expands inwardly to close ofl the passageway made by the needle.

It will be seen that the manner of using this selfsealing valve is somewhat similar to the use of conventional self-sealing valves which employ a soft plugand are adapted to be inflated with an inflating needle. Such valves of the prior art have been relatively short-lived because the valve plug soon loses its life and does not completely seal the valve. Furthermore, such prior art products have been very diificult to use in that the compressed plug is very difiicult to puncture manually, even when a sharp needle is employed. These valves were frequently poorly bonded or adhere to the wall of the cast body, and the exposed edge of the cemented or welded juncture was particularly subject to wear and failure. The present valve is relatively easy to penetrate and has a long service life compared to the valves of the prior other hand, to render more positive the self-sealing operation of'the plug. The tendency of the plastisol to bleed toward the surface of the plug is apparently responsible in large measure for these highly desirable characteristics. An exemplary formula having the relatively high plasticizer content which it is desirable to use in making the sealing portions of thevalve (in this case the plug 21) is set forth below:

Parts by weight High molecular weight polyvinyl chloride in form of a fine whitepowder, specific gravity approx. 11.4 4.0 Polyvi-nylchloride acetate copolymer, 96% +vinyl chloride, less than 4% vinyl acetate 20 Triethylene glycol di-(Z-ethyl hexoate) 20 Dioctyl phthalate 20 Cadmiumtnaphthenate dissolved in plasticizer type carrier, approx. 121 (stabilizer) 2 Titanox (color) .3

affix the valve body on the wall of the cast article.

In FIGURES 1a, 2a and 3:2, I have illustrated an alternative form of the invention which also provides an article having a valve adapted to be used with an inflating needle. A mold 3% is providedsimilar in all respects to the mold 16. A valve housing 35 is mounted on a needle 36 which is press-fitted intothe wall of the'mold 30. Thevalve housing 35 is of an unconventional shape and is not adapted to contain a plug equivalent to the plug 21. The valve housing 35 is preferably made from a synthetic plastisol resin having a relatively high plasticizer content, the formula given in connection with the plug 21 being suitable for this purpose. In all other respects, the example of the invention which is illustrated in FIG- URES 1a, 2a and 3a is similar to the previous description of FIGURES l, 2 and 3.

It will be seen that the valve shown in FIGURES 1a, 2a and 3a is simplified in that no plug insert is necessary. As seen in FIGURE 10, the final product is adapted to receive an infiating needle through the orifice 37 and the passage 33. The needle is simply inserted through the orifice and passage and penetrates the inner tip of the valve housing. When the inflating needle is withdrawn, the inner tip of the housing acts as its own self-sealing closure. Again, with the relatively high plasticizer content of the valve housing, lubrication is provided for the easy penetration of the needle and for more positive self-sealing operation of the valve. Also, in this example as in the previous example, a valve is provided which is not directly exposed but rather is contained within and fused with the wall of the cast article. It will be obvious that'this feature may be provided in articles which contain valves which are not designed to be employed with an inflating needle. For example, a conventional inner tube type valve may be mounted in a housing equivalent to the housings 15 and 35, and may be contained within and fused with the wall of the cast article in the manner disclosed above, access to the articles.

middle portion of the valve being had through an orifice equivalent to the orifices 22 and 37, such orifices being formed by a mold pin or peg equivalent to the pins 12 and 36.

Still other alt rnatives to the specifically disclosed ex amples of the invention will readily occur to those familiar with the manufacture of cast air-inflatable Accordingly, the scope of theinvention is not to be restricted to the details of the above disclosure but is to be defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of making an air-inflatable article containing a valve structure therewithin comprising the steps of providing a hollow sectional mold with a pin extending inwardly from an inner wall of said mold and with the projecting portion of the pin exposed to the mold interior, positioning a valve structure on said pin spaced a given distance from said mold wall, placing a substantially liquid mixture consisting essentially of a resin and a plasticizer therefor in said mold for subsequent distribution as a layer over the inner surface of the mold cavity, the measure of said mixture being sufiicient to cause the thickness of said layer in the vicinity of said valve structure to exceed said given distance but being insufficient to allow said layer to entirely cover said valve structure, closing said mold, rotating said mold in a multiplicity of planes to distribute said mixture as said layer, heating said layer while the mold is rotating to gel it against the inner surfaces of the mold and against said valve structure, and applying additional heat to fuse the gelled layer, cooling 'the layer below its fusing temperature, opening the mold and removing the article therefrom.

2. Themethod of making an air-inflatable article containing on a wall thereof an inwardly extending valve structure comprising the steps of placing a valve structure on a pin extending partially into the mold cavity of ,a hollow sectional mold, the extending portion of the pin being directly exposed to the mold cavityprior to said emplacement of said valve structure, said pin being so mounted on an inner wall of said hollow sectional mold that'the valve structure is spaced a givendistance from said mold wall, placing a substantially liquid mixture consisting essentially of a resin and a plasticizer therefor in the mold cavity for subsequent distribution as a layer over the inner surface of'the mold cavity, themeasure of said mixture being sufiicient to cause the thickness of said layer in the vicinity of said valve structure to exceed said given distance but being insuflicient to allow said layer to entirely cover said valve structure, closing .said mold, rotating said mold in a multiplicity of planes'to distribute said mixture as said layer, heating said layer while the mold is rotating to gel it against the inner surfaces of the mold and against said valve structure, and applying additional heat to fuse the gelled layer, cooling the layer below its fusing temperature, opening the mold and removing the article therefrom.

References {Iited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,473,722 6/49 Nelson 18-58 XR 2,477,899 8/49 Rempel 18-58.3 2,569,869 10/51 Rempel l853.3 2,730,765 1/56 Grafton et al. 1826 2,760,775 8/56 Tipton' 1858 XR 2,763,031 9/56 Rekettye. 

1. THE METHOD OF MAKING AN AIR-INFLATABLE ARTICLE CONTAIING A VALVE STRUCTURE THEREWITHIN COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PROVIDING A HOLLOW SECTIONAL MOLD WITH A PIN EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM AN INER WALL OF SAID MOLD AND WITH THE PROJECTING PORTION OF THE PIN EXPOSED TO THE MOLD INTERIOR, POSITIONING A VALVE STRUCTURE ON SAID PIN SPACED A GIVEN DISTANCE FROM SAID MOLD WALL, PLACING A SUBSTANTILLY LIQUID MIXTURE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A RESN AND A PLASTICIZER THEREFOR IN SAID MOLD FOR SUBSEQUENT DISTRIBUTION AS A LAYER OVER THE INNER SURFACE OF THE MOLD CAVITY, THE MEASURE OF SAID MIXTURE BENG SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE THE THICKNESS OF SAID LAYER IN THE VICINITY OF SAID VALVE STRUCTURE TO EXCEED SAID GIVEN DISTANCE BUT BEING INSUFFICIENT TO ALLOW SAID LAYER TO ENTIRELY COVER SAID VALVE STRUCTURE, CLOSING SAID MOLD, ROTATING SAID MOLD IN A MULTIPLICITY OF PLANES TO DISTRIBUTE SAID MIXTURE AS SAID LAYER, HEATING SAID LAYER WHILE THE MOLD IS ROTATING TO GEL IT AGAINST THE INNER SURFACES OF THE MOLD AND AGAINST SAID VALVE STRUCTURE, AND APPLYING ADDITIONAL HEAT TO FUSE THE GELLED LAYER, COOLING THE LAYER BELOW ITS FUSING TEMPERATURE, OPENING THE MOLD AND REMOVING THE ARTICLE THEREFROM. 